Niiya, Dr. Tanaka and the General looked at Adrianna and Dmitri with wide eyes. They were shocked. How could they even enter this house despite all the security? And these were the very people they were plotting against? Dr. Tanaka blinked his eyes rapidly to process what he had seen. His mouth fell open. For a moment his body froze.

Although Niiya was shocked to the core, he drew his head back quickly and raised his eyes. His mouth stretched into a smile. He looked beyond them and noticed two more of the team standing outside the door as if guarding the royal couple.

​​

"Adri!" he exclaimed.

The General was standing near the window. He wondered how could any intruder enter the house without his security knowing about them. He stared at the girl in front of him with disbelief. She was wearing a knee-length black leather jacket with black leggings and black ankle-length boots. Her hair was tied in a neat pony. Her golden yellow eyes looked like warm sun in winters. The man standing behind her was in one word – handsome. He looked royal in his black pants and white full sleeves shirt that had gold cufflinks. He wore a cape around his shoulders. But he looked so ferocious and lethal that the General got scared a little. He stepped back to create space between them. Struggling to find words, he stuttered somehow, "Who- who are y- you? And h- how did you break the security?"

"Good morning General, I am Adrianna," she introduced herself gently with a calm and cool composure.

The General totally forgot what to say next. He was as white as chalk. He licked his dry lips. So this was the mighty Queen whom Ziu was fighting against. His eyes and his mouth froze wide open as shock registered in his mind. He couldn't believe it.

It was the first time he was meeting with the person who was the cynosure of the storm. This young girl was the Queen of the Wizard Realm. This girl who was so young, perhaps she was younger than his daughter. Was she so indomitable that she qualified to be the Queen?

His gaze shifted to the man behind her.

"I am Dmitri," he answered even before the General could ask.

Now the General was really shaky. He feared for his life. 'If Ziu was so strong and puissant, the powers of this girl must be immeasurable,' he thought. 'And combine with those of her husband, who was the Supreme Alpha of the werewolves.' The General felt as though he would faint. His breath caught in his throat. He wanted to speak something but only air blew out of his mouth.

"What are you doing here?" snarled Dr. Tanaka breaking the introductions. "How dare you trespass my property? Get out of here!"

"Father!" Niiya yelled to quiet him. Then he looked towards his best friend with a smile that stretched to his ears. He was extremely happy to see Adrianna. He had been waiting, wanting to meet her for a long time. "Adrianna, how are you?" He looked at Dmitri and nodded. Dmitri returned the favor.

Adrianna returned his smile and said, "I am good Niiya." Then she noticed how red faced his father was. "Should we sit out in the living room?" She waved her hand around and added, "This room is too small for all of us."

"Sure," replied Niiya and walked to the door immediately. He bowed with a small smile at Haldir. But as soon as his eyes settled on Inyanga, he stopped. The black woman in front of him was stunning beyond words. "H- hello," his voice was almost a whistle.

Inyanga was wearing a sky blue fur coat with blue denim and sneakers. She looked hot as hell. "Hello," she replied with a frown.

Somewhere in his mind, Niiya heard a very low snarl, "Back off." He looked around to find the source of the male voice, but there everyone was quietly watching him. Haldir' expression were stone cold. A muscle feathered in his jaw when Niiya looked at him again.

Shaking that moment, Niiya guided them all to the living room. Adrianna and Dmitri came out and sat together. Dr. Tanaka came out reluctantly but the General followed them eagerly. This was a golden opportunity for him to get out of this mess. In fact, if need be, he would change sides.

They sat far from the group. Niiya was the only one excited. He sat close to Adrianna. Haldir and Inyanga chose to stand near Dmitri, behind the sofa.

"Why have you come here, Adrianna? Don't you have an iota of self-respect?" growled Dr. Tanaka again.

Adrianna narrowed her eyes. She sneered and said, "You shouldn't talk about self-respect Dr. Tanaka for you are the one who has hidden plans. Not me. You were the one who needed help in order to bring your plans to fruition. You were the one who fanned this crisis because of your personal gains. Had you refrained from your wayward thoughts, this problem wouldn't have occurred."

"Shut up!" Dr. Tanaka barked. "You cunning girl. You sneaked upon our conversation? Now a nineteen-years old girl is going to give me advice? What do you know? You are nothing. So get out of this place. Or else—"

"Or else what?" asked Adrianna with a raised eyebrow.

"Or else, I will call the General's soldiers and get you killed. You will be roasted with bullets. Then I will personally throw your body for the dogs to feed," Dr. Tanaka said ferociously with so much hatred that it showed upon his face. His facial muscles had contorted.

"Tanaka!" roared Dmitri. "Stay within your limits."

Adrianna stopped Dmitri by holding his hands that were rolled into tight fists. She knew that he was raging to rip him apart. She ignored the doctor, looked at the General and addressed calmly, "You know what has happened to all the fighter jets that you had sent to attack us?"

The General shook his head.

"They were all made to crash in the mountains after passing through a time circle."

The General was speechless. He had heard about such things only in theory.

"The army that you have so ostentatiously stationed around the Wizard Realm—I want you to remove that before any of those soldiers lose their lives."

This was his opportunity. "I w- want to r- r- r-" he tried to speak those words, but they wouldn't come out of his throat. He tried very hard again, but the words failed him. After a few moments, he looked desperate and said, "I can't speak what I want to." He looked at Niiya for an explanation.

Niiya lowered his head.

Dr. Tanaka scoffed, "General, you have made a promise with a wizard. How do you think you can break it? You will never be able to give away our plan or speak against Ziu."

The General gaped at the doctor. This was not told to him earlier. What was this promise bond? Till now he kept thinking that it just a normal way of promise that they hand amongst humans.

"If you make a promise with a wizard, there is no way you can break it," said Dr. Tanaka looking too relaxed. He sat back in his sofa.

"The bond can be broken," came a soft voice from behind.